Lowering the Roll Bar and Canopy Shade on a Kubota Tractor

[Showmedata]

I remember when JEEPs had roll bars, also know when 'they' renamed them to 'light bars', to avoid lawsuits.

I actually worked at Jeep body engineering in the early 90s. It was officially called a "sport bar" for exactly the reason you state, but it was fully engineered as a structural part of the chassis to provide roof-crush protection.

I am of the opinion that ROPS is both - to prevent rolling beyond sideways in all but the steepest terrain, and to provide some operator protection in case it does. But this is all armchair quarterbacking, to be fair.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I KNOW the 'bar' on my '73 CJ-5 was mighty dang TOUGH, a LOT tougher than the windshield frame.....

 

[Henro]

I say give up on the idea of a canopy. Remove the ROPS completely. Easy to get the tractor where you want it then. Why worry about it?

Live long and prosper…

I tipped my B2910 on its side once. The ROPS did stop the action at that point. More cautious now. Would I make it shorter? Don’t think so. The unexpected does happen.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

I'm curious to know how the side rollover happened....

 

[mcmxi]

The ROPS is NOT a roll bar. It is not intended to protect your head either. It is designed to stop the tractor from rolling over more than 90 degrees ( on it's side ).

That's an interesting distinction and one that I hadn't thought about. I have thought about rolling over and having a big rock or boulder try to occupy the same space as me! Rolling a tractor is definitely something that worries me when I'm on one of mine. Now that I have cabbed tractors there's no way to easily or quickly jump off or clear of a rolling tractor so I should wear the seat belt. I'm probably overly cautious but I don't know how out of whack these tractors can get before the decide to roll.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

here's a picture of my 'sunshaded' BX23S....

 

[Henro]

That's an interesting distinction and one that I hadn't thought about. I have thought about rolling over and having a big rock or boulder try to occupy the same space as me! Rolling a tractor is definitely something that worries me when I'm on one of mine. Now that I have cabbed tractors there's no way to easily or quickly jump off or clear of a rolling tractor so I should wear the seat belt. I'm probably overly cautious but I don't know how out of whack these tractors can get before the decide to roll.

My fear was a tree…I built a “head protector“ to prevent that. You can see it in my Avatar.

I kept imagining something going wrong next to a tree, with the tractor tipping and the tree sliding down MY side of the ROPS…mouse trap effect.

 

[L&AirC]

re: The ROPS is NOT a roll bar

I respectfully disagree.ROPS is Roll Over Protection System, keyword is Roll, same word as in Roll Bar. If 'they' don't think it's the same, then 'they' could have used 1,000s of other words in the English language to name it. Both are items that are designed to limit the travel of an object from going past a desired amount of motion. Neigther is a 'safety cage' or 'roll cage' as seen in say race cars.

I remember when JEEPs had roll bars, also know when 'they' renamed them to 'light bars', to avoid lawsuits.

Is it not possible that the protection it provides for roll overs is to prevent the roll over from happening?

 

[Biker1mike]

Is it not possible that the protection it provides for roll overs is to prevent the roll over from happening?

A ROPS is designed to stop the tractor at 90 degrees from upright. The tractor should stop the roll with it's side on the ground. It is not a roll bar which protects you when your car goes 180 degrees.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

A ROPS is designed to stop the tractor at 90 degrees from upright. The tractor should stop the roll with it's side on the ground. It is not a roll bar which protects you when your car goes 180 degrees.

Technically, a ROPS systems, should provide some protection in both scenarios.

 

[L&AirC]

A ROPS is designed to stop the tractor at 90 degrees from upright. The tractor should stop the roll with it's side on the ground. It is not a roll bar which protects you when your car goes 180 degrees.
[/QUOTE

I’m in agreement with you and is what I meant. I’m focusing on the meaning of the first two words - “roll over”. If a tractor rolls, it is on its side. To get to “over”, it would have to continue until it is on its other side. You stated the length of the ROPS is to prevent the “over” part from happening and that is the most logical explanation I’ve heard.

How many manufacturers make things longer, wider, stronger, thicker, etc. than they have too? The ROPS could be designed shorter if the goal was to protect the driver through the roll over. Customers would be happier because the tractor would fit in a garage without modification; to the tractor or garage. They added the hinge in the ROPS so this could happen.

I am not an engineer, but isn’t an arch stronger than a rectangle when it comes to supporting a downward force? Why pick a tall rectangle when a shorter arch is stronger? Isn’t it because the arch doesn’t prevent the over part whereas the tall rectangle does?

 

[Biker1mike]

The entire tractor would need to be redesigned. Tractor body parts and frame are not made to help in any way for a 360 degree roll. The price of R&D and complete redesign would be vast. I imagine the price of tractors would become a real issue for many small farms.
Complete 360 rolls are rare.

 

[ruger1980]

The entire tractor would need to be redesigned. Tractor body parts and frame are not made to help in any way for a 360 degree roll. The price of R&D and complete redesign would be vast. I imagine the price of tractors would become a real issue for many small farms.
Complete 360 rolls are rare.

Sorry I work for a very large OEM. A ROPS is designed to "protect" during a roll over whether it be laying over on the side or upside down. The structure must be able to support the entire weight of the vehicle. It is also not designed to protect when rolling over and over, one time use only.

That being said it just to protect the machine and operator during those conditions. It does not guarantee it will save your life.

 

[Biker1mike]

Sorry I work for a very large OEM. A ROPS is designed to "protect" during a roll over whether it be laying over on the side or upside down. The structure must be able to support the entire weight of the vehicle. It is also not designed to protect when rolling over and over, one time use only.

That being said it just to protect the machine and operator during those conditions. It does not guarantee it will save your life.

Ruger,
Specs verse real life.
I just went out to the tractor. Ran a cord from the front of the hood to the top of the ROPS. I then climbed into the seat. The cord came to my EAR lobe. So the top two to three inches of my head were ABOVE the line.
The rops has to hold the weight of the tractor in a 180 flip.
If I do a 180 roll, my head will be part of the weight bearing points of contact. At my age I
would assume my head / spine will not carry that kind of load.

 

[ruger1980]

Ruger,
Specs verse real life.
I just went out to the tractor. Ran a cord from the front of the hood to the top of the ROPS. I then climbed into the seat. The cord came to my EAR lobe. So the top two to three inches of my head were ABOVE the line.
The rops has to hold the weight of the tractor in a 180 flip.
If I do a 180 roll, my head will be part of the weight bearing points of contact. At my age I
would assume my head / spine will not carry that kind of load.

Like I said it is not designed to save your life only "protect" you.

 

[Biker1mike]

Like I said it is not designed to save your life only "protect" you.

LMAO. You could be a New York politician with that.
Have a safe New Year.

Mike